'The word pedants' top 10 | It's specific, not Pacific...' blog discussion.

alanq

Flyboy152 wrote: »

There is no 24:00.

There is 24:00 but no 24:01.

According to ISO8601 a day begins at midnight 00:00 and ends at midnight 24:00 (which is 00:00 of the following day).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601

alanq

Misuse of "less" / "fewer" has been mentioned as has misuse of "amount of" with countable nouns (e.g. "amount of people")

News reports are filled with similar errors from reporters and interviewees who should know better.

One of my pet hates is the misuse of "majority" with uncountable nouns. "The majority of the bad weather" "The majority of the traffic" etc. "Majority" means the "greatest number".

I have also recently noticed the use of "criteria" and "phenomena" as if they are singular. "An additional criteria" "A new phenomena".

Marwell1

What a brilliant thread! Most of my pet hates have been mentioned, especially apostrophes, haitch, comprise of and 'and I' instead of 'and me' but nobody has mentioned one of my real bugbears - GUYS - usually in restaurants, as in 'Are you guys O.K.?' usually followed up by the same person saying 'Cheers' or even worse 'Cheers mate' (I am a woman and I am not a guy or someone's mate). Think Harvester.

Another really annoying one is when someone says 'END OF' after a sentence (usually in an argument).

spandit

The sign outside Bob's cafe contained the word "gateaux's". :wall:

(this forum also doesn't like an accented 'e' – e with ’ shows up as ! )

quoia

spandit wrote: »

The sign outside Bob's cafe contained the word "gateaux's". :wall:

(this forum also doesn't like an accented 'e' – e with ’ shows up as ! )

YÉS it DOÉS

You wÉrEn't trying to put onÉ in gatÉaux by any chancÉ ?

Only it doÉsn't havÉ onÉ

It's actually gâteaux

spandit

quoia wrote: »

YÉS it DOÉS

You wÉrEn't trying to put onÉ in gatÉaux by any chancÉ ?

Only it doÉsn't havÉ onÉ

It's actually gâteaux

No, I was trying to put it in CAFÉ – lower case É doesn't appear to work for caf!. I note that you had to use the upper case É in words even if it should have been lower case.

I understand about gâteaux, but was copying the notice on the board.

Murphymycat

My pet hates have all been mentioned. My favourite is lose and loose.

What really makes me cringe however is the pronunciation of ingredients on popular American cookery shows. "Baysel" for basil and "erbs" for herbs.





Time flies. I can't, they move too fast.

Flyboy152

Marwell1 wrote: »

What a brilliant thread! Most of my pet hates have been mentioned, especially apostrophes, haitch, comprise of and 'and I' instead of 'and me' but nobody has mentioned one of my real bugbears - GUYS - usually in restaurants, as in 'Are you guys O.K.?' usually followed up by the same person saying 'Cheers' or even worse 'Cheers mate' (I am a woman and I am not a guy or someone's mate). Think Harvester.

Another really annoying one is when someone says 'END OF' after a sentence (usually in an argument).

Apart from the glaringly appalling grammar, it is as if these words were a magic talisman, designed to prove the argument won.

John_Pierpoint

Murphymycat wrote: »

Time flies. I can't, they move too fast.

...but fruit flies like bananas.

King_Weasel

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

There are fewer people studying for their secondary school qualification in English in USA than in China.
As Chinese is a strange language, where it is not what you say but the way that you say it, that gives meaning to the words - then we must be in for some very special changes to the English language...

Chop chop 左丽芳

Hit back, make sure your kids all learn Mandarin.

Are you going to translate for us? All I know it's three syllables.

If you mean by "the way that you say it" you must observe the tones, that is so true! How many foreigners have attempted to buy a horse in China, only to discover they have sold their mothers?

From my travels in China I can tell you how seriously they take learning English, from primary school onwards. Outside places like Beijing and Shanghai little kids run up to you, shout "hello" and run away laughing. I refuse to accept that and encourage them to say more. Many of them do.